In recent years, devices which can reproduce various kinds of media content on the assumption of network connection, such as multifunctional mobile phones and tablet terminal devices, have increased. Furthermore, utilization based on a combination of a plurality of devices using a network function, which includes a television receiver or the like that has been present in the related art, became necessary.
As a combination of a plurality of devices, an application program for receiving a plurality of pieces of media content such as (A1) to (A4) shown below, which have a time-synchronized relationship, by the plurality of devices through broadcasting, the internet, or the like and reproducing the pieces of content in a synchronized manner can be assumed.
(A1) Foreign language sound content, commentary sound content, closed captioning, and character information for main video and sound content
(A2) A plurality of pieces of video and sound content acquired by playing a musical composition by each instrument and capturing an image of a scene where each instrument is being played
(A3) Video and sound content obtained by imaging one scene in a plurality of angles
(A4) Main video and sound content and high-definition version of video and sound content thereof
It is necessary to reproduce such a plurality of pieces of content in a state where synchronization is maintained during the reproduction. For example, a technology of synchronizing a plurality of pieces of content by extracting feature amounts from respective pieces of content imaged at the same time by a plurality of different imaging apparatuses and calculating a similarity of the feature amounts has been disclosed as a technology of synchronizing a plurality of pieces of content (see PTL 1, for example).